This is the first of a projected Parma Verdi Festival edition
of the operas of Verdi to come my way. Called Tutto Verdi,
the edition will mark the bicentenary of the great Italian opera
composer’s birth “with recordings of all twenty-six
of his operas”. This simple statement on the product case
begs a lot of questions. For a start there are twenty-eight
different titles in the Verdi canon. Of these Jérusalem
(1847) was a re-write of his fourth opera, I Lombardi
(1843) to a French libretto for the composer’s début
at the Paris Opéra. Aroldo (1857) was a re-write
of Stiffelio (1850) to get away from the portrayal of
a married Protestant Minister that offended some audience sensibilities.
I suspect these two re-writes will not feature and also that
the two other operas that Verdi wrote to French libretti for
Paris, Les Vêpres Siciliennes (1855) and Don
Carlos (1867), will be recorded in their Italian translations.
As I write the first six of Verdi’s operas are available
in this series.

Nabucco was Verdi’s third opera. Like the first
two, Oberto (1839) and Un giorno di regno (1840)
it was premiered at La Scala, Milan. The latter opera, Verdi’s
only comic opera until his last, Falstaff (1893) was
initially considered a failure. During the composition of Un
giorno di regno life for Verdi was difficult. Money was
short and his wife pawned jewels to pay for their lodgings.
Always prone to psychosomatic symptoms, the composer suffered
from a bad throat and angina during the composition. Then, in
June 1840, on the feast of Corpus Christi, his beloved wife
died of encephalitis and thus followed their children.

With his personal and professional life in tatters, Verdi returned
to his home in Busseto determined never to compose again. However,
Merelli, intendant at La Scala, pressed on him the libretto
of Nabucodonosor. Verdi read the libretto and was greatly stimulated
by it albeit that, to his chagrin, its completion was too late
for inclusion in the La Scala season whose sequence had already
been completed and published. It took some vehement correspondence
from the composer before the opera was premiered on 9 March
1842, in second-hand sets but with a first-rate baritone and
bass. Giuseppina Strepponi, who was to be a great influence
in Verdi’s life, sang Abigaille. The work was a resounding
success and although the season had only ten days to run Nabucco
was given no fewer than eight more times. The delighted Merelli
promptly scheduled a revival for the following autumn when there
were another sixty-seven performances, breaking all La Scala
records. The chorus Va pensiero was regularly encored
with the Milanese public, under Austrian occupation, clearly
identifying themselves with the oppressed Hebrews of the story.
It was a tenuous start to the identification of Verdi and his
operas with the Risorgimento movement, later in the 1840s, for
the liberation and unification of Italy.

Whilst Verdi’s first two operas could be seen as Donizettian
in idiom, flavour and pace, Nabucco was something different.
The forward thrust and vibrancy were entirely different from
anything that had gone before and were to be the hallmark of
Verdi’s subsequent early period works. Rossini had used
the chorus as a major protagonist in a number of his works,
particularly the opera seria of his Naples period and in a manner
that his successor, Donizetti, who was present at the Nabucco
premiere, did not. In Nabucco, Verdi makes full use of
the chorus as a major protagonist. It is always a pleasure to
hear an Italian Chorus sing these Verdi choruses. The performance
of the Teatro Regio forces in this performance confirms that,
particularly with the young Michele Mariotti on the rostrum
having such a sensitive feel for the idiom. The famous Va
pensiero comes over with a pliant pleading that bites into
the soul (CH.26).

This production by Daniele Abbado, in sets and costumes by Luigio
Perego, is straightforward and somewhat static. No regietheater
for this duo, albeit there is the idiosyncrasy of the Hebrews
being in modern dress, the men in variations of standard Jewish
headgear, according to their particular sect, the Babylonians
in appropriate period and ethnic costume.

The sets are simple with the temple of the Jews appearing to
be backed by something like the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. There
is not much movement on stage by the soloists or a lot of involved
acting either. The Video Director focuses on the main protagonists
and not a lot is seen of the width of the simple sets with tableaux
being dominant. Of the three principals, the Zaccaria of Riccardo
Zanellato is the steadiest vocally if lacking some lower-toned
sonority (CHs.4, 14-15 and 27). In the demanding role of Abigaille
the Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, more often seen in Donizetti
or Bellini bel canto roles in Italy, portrays an imperious
Abigaille. Not always steady, she manages the notoriously fearsome
tonal drop better than many (CHs. 11-12) and is appropriately
regal after usurping the throne from Nabucco (CHs.22-25). In
the eponymous role Leo Nucci, once rather lean-toned has here
acquired a greater vocal variety. Regrettably in this, at least
this third or fourth video recording of the title role, Nucci
has lost the ability to hold a legato line (CH.25 and 29) and
his voice tends to spread under pressure.

I was impressed with Bruno Ribeiro as Ismaele in the open-air
performance recorded at the St. Margarethen Festival in July
2007 (see review)
but find him a little dry here (CH.5). As Fenena, the true daughter
of Nabucco, Anna Maria Chiuri, acts well and sings with full
tone but is vocally hesitant in her prayer (CH.32). Ismaele’s
rescuing of Fenena as Zaccaria uses her as a hostage is poorly
managed (CH.16).

Whatever the individual vocal limitations of the soloists, the
playing of the orchestra under Michele Mariotti and the choral
contribution are big pluses.

The bonus is a ten-minute introduction to the opera given with
snippets from this performance - a welcome innovation. There
are also brief trailers of the others of Verdi early operas
in this series already released, Oberto, Un giorno di regno,
I Lombardi, Ernani (1844)andI Due Foscari
(1844).

Video competition is greater than for any of the composer’s
operas up to Rigoletto (1851). The Met performance from
2001 remains a firm favourite (see review)
whilst that from Piacenza in 2004 featuring Ambrogio Maestri
in the title role and Paata Burchuladze as Zaccaria has many
virtues. Unlike that from the Met, it is in 16:9 format (see
review).
Nucci appears in the title role in earlier performances from
Verona (see review)
and Vienna on TDK DVWW-OPNAB. Robert J Farr

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